Analysis Walkthrough

Analysis Walkthrough

About the Data

This dataset includes 289 deaths in West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) custody from January 2020 through March 2025. It was obtained by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy through a FOIA request filed by policy analyst Sara Whitaker.

Each row represents a death, with key fields including:

  • date_of_death and booking_date
  • age, race, gender
  • facility and offender_status (e.g., pretrial vs. sentenced)
  • manner_of_death and cause_of_death

DCR’s annual reports do not publish this level of detail. Jail deaths are excluded, and no information is provided by facility, demographics, or cause. This dataset allows for deeper analysis of where, when, and how people are dying in custody.

Exploratory Data Analysis

In this section, we’ll begin exploring:

  • How many deaths occurred each year?
  • Which facilities have the highest number of deaths?
  • How do deaths vary by custody status (pretrial vs. sentenced)?
  • Are certain groups disproportionately affected?
  • Are facilities with high mortality rates experiencing overcrowding?

We’ll also examine patterns in cause of death and compare counts to what DCR reports in its official publications.

Characteristics

Offender Status

Net Change in Deaths: 2020 vs 2024

Facilities With the Most Deaths

Cause and Manner of Death